3 factors that keep users and crawlers away from your homepage

Your homepage is not just a space where you display your brand name and logo. This is the initial page on which users and crawlers are heading, which means it’s the first (and potentially the last) chance to get their attention. If you want to generate more organic search traffic, your site needs to make a stellar impression in just a few seconds. Always remember that search engine crawlers are constantly being transformed to behave more like an average user.

Unfortunately, creating the perfect homepage is easier said than done. There are hundreds of factors that can influence the success of a page, from loading speed to the font size. You can not expect to excel in all categories, but you can try checking the main boxes.

Here are three of the major factors that drive users and search engine crawlers away from your site. If you notice that one of them is present on your site, you should make the necessary changes as soon as possible.

1. Your page slow loading

Why is this a problem for users:

Nowadays, we expect fast speeds using modern technologies, regardless of the website visited.
Therefore, if a visitor stumbles on your page and it takes longer than expected to load, it will probably bounce back and look for a faster web page elsewhere
If your site takes more than 4.2 seconds to load, the conversion rate will be less than 1%. Do not ruin the search experience with images or text that load slowly: it kills the user experience of your site.

Why is this a problem for crawlers:

Pages that take forever to load do not only bother search users also drive crawlers away, too far. This is a particularly serious concern with regard to results and mobile ranking. Google and other search engines are penalizing sites that load slowly, causing you to lose even more visitors and conversions.
Good luck to reach the highest positions in Google if your site takes more than eight seconds to load images and text.

How to fix the problem:

Check your site with Google’s Speed ​​Insights page. This app will help you determine how fast your site is charging for your average visitors. In addition, it will tell you how you can solve various problems related to the speed of your site. For example, it might suggest reducing the size of your images or optimizing your content for faster loading times. Take a look at this tool to find out where your biggest gaps in speed are, then fix the issues quickly.

2. The site gives a bad first impression

Why is this a problem for users:

When a user visits your homepage, he hopes to see a professional and clean page ..
He also expects it to be modern and up to date. So, random fonts, randomly chosen colors, and confusing configurations are first-time killers. Not only must your site be nice to look at, but it should also appear as a trusted, professionally managed site.

Take extra steps to ensure your site looks respectable. Do not hesitate to slip into the skin of the user when he decides to explore your site by simply taking a look at the homepage. Make sure you immediately like what you see

Why is this a problem for crawlers:

Even if crawlers do not have the same design preferences as users (for now), they are looking for sites that are well designed and conducive to online searches. instant, if a crawler is incorrectly redirected or finds scattered errors in your homepage, you can say goodbye to the best positions of Google.

How to solve the problem:

Start by establishing a brand guide that dictates the colors, fonts, logos, and slogan. This will help you give your homepage the flawless style that users expect from a respectable brand. Next, look for any blatant errors that might drive users away. Double-check your links to confirm that everything is leading users to the correct destination, and make sure your website is loading correctly on mobile devices as well as computers and tablets.

3. Your images are causing problems

Why is this a problem for users:

We often say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is never truer than when it comes to your homepage. The images on your site, especially in the main area, need to impress users instantly.
In the current competitive environment, 32% of marketers say that visual images are the most important form of content for their business.

This should also apply to your site. Do not let images load slowly, lose quality, or not update for months (or years).

Why it’s a problem for crawlers:

Although crawlers cannot ‘see’ your images as human visitors can, they can determine whether your images are up to par or not by looking at your alt tags. Each image of your site should have a brief description that relates to the content of the image. This makes your images more visible and relevant to Google results. Remember, you should not fill these alt tags at random. Each must have a purpose, be precise and useful for the visitors.

How to fix the problem:

For beginners, check that your site is optimized for fast-loading, high-quality photos, and graphics. In addition, you should choose photos that are new and that attract attention. You may need to update these images each year to reflect current design expectations.

About alt tags, make sure to fill them correctly when you download images. You will also need to consult your robots.txt to make sure you do not accidentally prevent search engine crawlers from parsing your alt text.

Conclusion

If you’re wondering how to capture an audience with your home page, you’ll find thousands of suggestions on the internet. However, we know that there are three predominant factors that drive users away (and crawlers): slow loading speed, bad first impressions, and non-professional images. Avoid this and you will be much more likely to rank better in Google and offer a crawlable site.